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Sunday, August 31, 2014

Finally
I've managed to read and write a couple of book reviews. I'm traveling and now
at beautiful Beverly Beach on the Oregon Coast so I managed to get some reading
done. I usually try to read and review Indie pubbed books, but these are a
couple of traditional paperbacks I brought with me.

FOUL PLAY AT THE FAIR by Shelley Freydont

This is a fun read. It’s the first in the
Celebration Bay series. We’re reminded of a cozy mystery story and Miss Marple
in the Agatha Christie stories is a young Liv Montgomery. An event planner recently moved to Celebration
Bay from Manhattan. With her dog, she
hoped to start a new life and immediately falls in love with Celebration Bay, a
town who depends on its festivals and celebrations to bring in the tourists.

When a body turns up in a cider barrel during
the fall harvest festival it has to be covered up so as not to ruin the
festival and then solved before the Halloween festival. Otherwise Liv could
lose her job. She’s a delightful character, but there are many other charming
and well-developed characters in the book to keep you interested and turning the
pages to see if they find the killer in time to prevent the cancellation of the
Halloween festival. Clues are planted and explored as the people continue their
normal lives, and planning the next festival.

It’s an enjoyable read and I look forward
to the next book.

HE KILLS ME HE KILLS ME NOT by Lena Diaz

This is a well-written romantic suspense
about a serial killer. Amanda Stockton
was brutally attacked by a serial killer and managed to escape with her life.
The other, kidnapped at the same time was killed. Amanda feels guilty that she
escaped but lives in terror that he might find her again. She seldom leaves her
home.

Logan Richards was born and raised in
Shadow Falls. He became a policeman but ten years ago when he let a killer
escape he left Shadow Falls and moved to New York to learn never to make that
mistake again. He carries the guilt of that mistake with him still. Now he’s
back and the Chief of Police – and a serial killer has hit again. The only
person who has any knowledge of the killer is Amanda. She has to face her fears
and help Logan before the killer strikes again. But everything is complicated when
their emotions take over. And compounded
bu t both their history of guilt.

The killer is suggested at the beginning
and clues are shared to help hide the identity, but when it’s revealed it’s not
a surprise. Will Logan make the same
mistake again? Can they identify the killer and stop him before he kills again?
And can they make a relationship between to damaged individuals work?

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Our
guest author today is Janice Seagraves, who is going to share some tidbits
about the writing of her book that no one knows--until today.

Janice grew
up with a deep love of science fiction and adventure stories. Always the
consummate artist, she traded in her paint brush for a laptop to write
breathless life-affirming novels that celebrate enduring love.

She
lives in a hundred year old haunted house (not kidding) with her husband of
many years and their grown daughter. When not writing, you can find her in the
yard either gardening or snapping a photo or two.

Matrix
Crystal Hunters

Five
Secrets you might not know about my book:

1.
The inspiration for my book came from a trip to the Mohave Desert with my
family when I was in the sixth grade. Because of that trip, I have my heroine,
May Gladstone, raised on the Mohave. And I have much of the story set on a
desert.

2.
On my family’s trip we rock hunted along the great Colorado River. My family
and I stopped at a store with the name Rock Hound and it was filled with
polished stones and crystals. Maya’s parents ran a store that sells the same
items and they’re rock hounds, people who hunt for semi and precious stones. As
you can guess from the title of my book, crystals play an important role in my
story.

3.
The huge building I mention in chapter three really exists. On our trip across
the Mohave Desert, my dad stopped at a long abandoned building made of cement. We
got out and went inside. This building might have been closer to sixty or so
years old, but the building in Matrix Crystal Hunters, is over a thousand years
old and built by the ancients out of stone. And with both, the only thing that
remained was the floor and walls.

4.
One of the fun things I was able to do while writing my story, was make up some
of the animals that inhabit the planet, Zenevieva. There’s the nikki, a long
tailed rabbit like creature. Vims who lay eggs and provide meat and resemble guinea fowl. The snags look like
a cross between a humpless camel and alpaca. And then there’s the sherrakeys,
which I designed after big Clydesdales
draft horses, which only the clan members are allowed to ride. The sherakeys
personalities, however, are more closely related to some of the nasty horses
I’ve come across. The ones that bite. The exception to this is hero, Vach’s,
main steed. Brawley is a sweet natured sherakey. Brawley carries a lot of the
humor in the scenes, since he’s so laid back compared to the other mounts and
thinks with his stomach.

5.
I also mentions caverns and caves a great deal in my story. I’ve had the
pleasure of visiting two caverns here in California. Crystal Cave is a
marble cave near the Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park. And Moaning
Cavern Park is California's largest public cave chamber. Both are
large and interestingcaverns with plenty of stalactites and stalagmites.I hope I did both cavern justice when I described the caves in my book.

Matrix Crystal Hunters is a
science fiction romance set on another planet. It was number eleven for two
weeks on kindle store for science fiction and fantasy.

Blurb:

Team
Alpha Three’s spaceship is out of power after fighting a wormhole, and parked
on the primitive world of Zenevieva. With half the team sick from radiation
poisoning, the team commander entrust geologist, Maya Gladstone, to find enough
matrix crystals to power up their spacecraft, so they can go home to Earth.
Vach Namaste of the powerful Clan Namaste, a native of the planet, has desired
the lovely Maya since she stepped off the spaceship on that astonishing day a
year ago. He’s hounded her every step since. As Hymeneal Night approaches, he
makes plans to take her as his bride… willing or not.

Monday, August 25, 2014

1.New Release-Make Me Surrender part of boxed
set Brought to His Knees

Blurb
from Make Me Surrender (ménage)She has a proposition…to win their attention, passion, hearts.

For over a year, Mercy’s had her eye on Travis and Dutch, two of
the hottest guys on the Oregon coast. Dark and dangerously virile, Travis owns
a saloon that caters to bikers. Dutch looks like one, right down to his
impressive tats, and operates a motorcycle repair shop on the premises.

When a position opens in the saloon’s kitchen, Mercy sees a way to
be near these sinfully sexy men, wanting the job and lodging, her cabin
snuggled between theirs.

Travis isn’t so sure about having Mercy nearby. She’s deliciously
curvy, but too nice. He’s into temporary fun. To Dutch, forever is a dirty
word.

Imagine their surprise when sweet little Mercy encourages wild
nights of carnal pleasure with a dash of bondage and spanking…followed by
friendship and tenderness.

Before she’s through, these tough guys will be the ones who’ve
surrendered.

Excerpt

Travis slammed the pickup’s door and went around to the
bed.

Mercy reached it just as he did. “Can you hand me the
cooler?” She pointed to it.

She’d painted her nails the same shade as her lips. He
recalled her finger in his mouth, how good the frosting and her skin had
tasted. A sudden shock of heat spread from Travis’s belly to his crotch.

“There’s a fridge inside, right?” she asked.

It took him a moment to catch up. He nodded. “Your own
private bath too.” Just in case she’d planned to use the one in Dutch’s cabin
or his, driving both of them over the edge.

“Thanks.” She took the cooler from him and pulled out a
single-wrapped Popsicle. Cherry-flavored. “Want one?”

Travis’s answer died in his throat at her tongue
snaking around the tip of the pop. She worked the treat between her lips, in
and out, as she would a man’s stiffened rod. Unable to speak, he shook his
head.

Mercy licked the corners of her mouth, her tongue
stained scarlet. “If you do later, go ahead and take as many as you want. Sure
is hot today.”

His damn underwear was practically smoking.

After giving him another smile, she followed her
girlfriend to the cabin. Like a lovesick puppy, Travis followed, staring at
Mercy’s plush ass, the backs of her thighs. All that pale, smooth skin had him
breathing hard.

She stopped. He couldn’t, at least not quickly enough,
and bumped into her, his cock snuggled against her butt. Mercy looked over,
submission in her eyes, a drop of Popsicle juice on her lower lip.

It glittered in the afternoon light, inviting him to
taste its sweetness, the cushiony comfort of her mouth.

With a shitting lot of willpower, Travis stepped back,
letting Mercy lick her lip before he did.

On a sigh, she turned from him and considered the
cabin’s interior again. Bright and clean, smelling of disinfectant and Febreze.
He and Dutch had worked on the damn place for hours.

“Wow. This is really nice.” Mercy touched the wooden bed
frame, small kitchen set, and freshly washed curtains as though they were made
of gold.

Travis wondered what she would think of his old place
in one of San Francisco’s most exclusive high rises, or his parents’ many
mansions. He’d willingly walked away from so much when she hadn’t had the
choice. Rotten luck had caused her to be alone, to work at Fast Fill and here
in order to take care of herself.

Mercy didn’t seem to mind or care about money at all.
In that they were so alike, making Travis admire and like her even more.

She offered a grateful smile. “You did an awesome job.”

“Way better than Carl would have,” the girl with her
gushed, then added, “I’m Jill by the way. Carl’s my guy. That’s his pickup you
drove,” she said to Travis. “Thanks for not hitting anything with it.”

Dutch chuckled.

Mercy gave him and her friend a disapproving look.
“Travis wasn’t driving that fast. He’s just in a hurry to get me moved in. Do
you have plans later?” She spoke to him and Dutch. “Either of you? Am I
interfering?”

Travis had thought about calling one of the women he
knew, maybe grab a pizza, catch a movie, screw until they were both raw then
call it a night. “Nope. Dutch probably does.”

“I don’t,” he said immediately, and smiled at Mercy.
“We’re all yours.”

She nodded slowly and licked the length of her
Popsicle.

Travis’s throat constricted. He cleared it and said,
“After we bring in your things, we’ll set up the ground rules for this
arrangement.” He gestured to Dutch. “Let’s go.”

When they reached the pickup’s bed, Dutch spoke
quietly. “Ground rules? You mean her hours of work. What she’s supposed to do.”

“Yeah, along with you keeping your jeans zipped and
wearing a damn shirt when she’s around.”

“Like you’re doing? Oh wait, you’re not.”

“I didn’t wrap my arm around her.”

“It was a friendly gesture. Hell, I do the same with my
grandmother. It’s not a felony.”

Why
should you buy this book- For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you get 11
NEW romances from your fave romance authors about Alpha males brought down by
love.

2.New Release-Cypher

Blurb:

Cara
Wainwright thinks life can’t get tougher when her mother's cancer becomes
terminal—until she returns home from the hospital and finds a courtyard full of
police officers and her houseguests dead.

Greenville,
SC Detective David Morris, is unsure if Cara is the suspect or the intended
murder victim. Searching for insight into her family, their mounting secrets,
and the conflicting evidence from multiple crimes, his attraction to Cara
complicates his investigation. Is the lure need, manipulation—or real?

While
David pursues forensic evidence, Cara pushes for answers about her father's
possible involvement, for at the center of the mystery stands Cypher—the
company her father built and will take any measures to defend.

When
the assassin strikes at the heart of the family, Cara and David have to trust
each other and work together to stop the killer before he eliminates the entire
Wainwright dynasty.

If My Heart
Could See You is Sherry Ewing’s debut historical romance set in the twelfth
century at the border of England and Scotland. Two days after the paperback
release, it hit Amazon’s top 10 Bestseller and Hot New Release lists in several
categories. Reviewers are giving it 5 Star’s and saying they couldn’t put it
down!

Blurb:

When you’re
enemies, does love have a fighting chance?

For Amiria of
Berwyck, defeat does not come easily as she watches her home and clan being
ripped asunder. When the very enemy who has laid siege to her home demands her
fealty, she will do whatever it takes to protect her people including a hastily
concocted ruse that quickly begins to unravel. All too soon, she starts to
question whether she can forgive herself for betraying those she has sworn to
protect.

Dristan of Blackmore,
champion knight of King Henry II, has a reputation to uphold as the Devil’s
Dragon. After his invading army conquers Berwyck castle, he sets out to manage
the newly claimed estate by training its knights in the art of proper defense.
At first, everything appears as it should be, or is it? Betrayed by those he
believed he could trust, he must first set aside his anger before he can make
room in his heart for love.

Together they are tied by
an unspoken bond. As they begin to rebuild the land and unite their people, forces
beyond their control attempt to tear apart their fragile truce and only time
will tell if love will forever bring them together.

Friday, August 22, 2014

What
a great question. I love this group blog. I look forward to hearing what other
people have to say.

I
can’t think of any books where the secondary characters actually take over the
story. There are many books that have strong secondary characters but they add
to the story. An example is the J.D Robb books. Dallas and Roarke are the h/h,
but there are a lot of great secondary characters-Summerset, Peabody, McNab and
a bunch more. They’re all strong,
interesting characters and an integral part of the story that makes it a better
book and help develop the h/h characters.

I’d
like to think I write the same type of secondary characters. I love writing
them because they’re less restrictive and less complex, but they need to add to
the character’s role. In my Holly Devine series, my secondary character is Lillian,
a wealthy older woman with early Alzheimer’s, who likes to pick up bright
things, like jewelry.

In
my Hawkins’ Family series I have Gran. She’s part of the family, but a strong independent
character, and an integral part of the series. I love her, but I don’t think
she takes over the story. I hope she adds to it.

What
do you think about secondary characters? I’d love to hear other people’s
opinions on this topic.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Our
guest author today is Rita Henuber, who is going to share some tidbits about
the writing of her book that no one knows--until today.

Rita grew up running the
beaches of a barrier island on Florida’s east coast. An island brat, she spent
more time climbing weathered oaks and chasing alligators than playing with the
dolls her family gave her. She married a Marine and feels fortunate to have
lived many places and traveled to the states and countries she didn’t live.
Leaving government service she moved back to that barrier island where she
writes about Extraordinary Women weaving her experiences into her story
telling. Her heroes and heroines are either in the military or government
service because she writes what she knows. Her father was in the Coast Guard
and immediate family members served in every branch of the service as desk
jockeys, grunts, pilots and everything in between. She’s experienced the highs
and lows of military and government life and is grateful for each experience.

Rita reads or listens to
two to three books a week. She has no favorite genre or author she just loves a
good story.

Point of No Return

Five
Things About — Point of No Return

1.
There is a reference to the area of Florida where I live. The island and area
of the beach I live on. In fact in each
of my books there is.

2.
The editor for my first book thought my helo flight scenes were so real she
asked if I was a helo pilot. Nope. In fact I don’t like them at all. I
researched incessantly. I gave this, eh, dislike to the heroine in Point of No
Return. A military office who, was required to be in one quite often.

3.
In Point of No Return the heroine has no problem duking it out with the bad
guys. I study fight scenes and vids of martial arts competitions to get the
sounds and moves of my characters correct. Should you ever need to know, in
body contact fights, women make different sounds then men.

4.
All of my heroines partake in one of my favorite foods or drink. In Point of No
return its peanut butter smeared on a thick slice of deli bologna, rolled up
and eaten with a pickle. She also has a love of good whiskey.

5.
In each of my books, there is a phrase or saying someone in my family

says,
all the time, until you want to bop
them. Plus, there are things that

small
children have said and done. Can you pick them out?

Blurb

Point
of No Return, is a thriller filled with romance and political intrigue.

Marine Major Honey
Thornton and a contract spy, Jack O'Brien, investigate recent kidnappings of military
children and the mysterious deaths of Jacks brother and sister-in-law. As they navigate
the murky political waters of the Pentagon, the CIA, and private armies, it’s hard to know who’s lying to your face,
who stands with you, and who’ll stab you in the back.In the end, the only thing you can
trust is what you know in your heart.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Retired Pararescueman, Quinn Wolff,
wrote the book on how to stay alive during a mission when he founded Wolff
Securities, an elite private sector security firm. When he fast-ropes down to
save missing humanitarian aid worker, Avery Marks, in the remote mountains of Azbakastan
he isn’t prepared for the brave, stubborn woman who challenges the rules he
wrote in order to protect her.

But
when it comes to matters of the heart nothing is simple…

Avery Marks learned a long time ago to
take care of herself, but when her convoy is attacked, her friends and
coworkers murdered, she has to rely on the aid of intensely capable and
handsome, Quinn Wolff to get her safely out of the country. His skills keep her
alive, but his kisses put her in danger. In danger of losing her heart. That’s
a risk she can’t take ever again.

Excerpt:

Gut-wrenching sobs
choked her as she brought the truck to a skidding stop in front of Quinn’s
house. She fumbled with the door handle and nearly fell on her face when it
opened. Leaving the door wide open, she ran into the house and straight to her
bedroom where she slammed the door. Quinn’s borrowed bloody shirt lay on the
floor, tainted with Ryan’s blood. Her own blood.

Memories of what
they’d done to her flooded in. The pain. Her screams. The times she couldn’t
scream. The missile hitting the Land Cruiser. Scott taking a bullet.

Oh God.

Unable to process,
Avery pummeled the fabric with her fists. Over and over she swung until the
pain in her arms overshadowed the pain in her heart.

A pair of arms
wrapped around her from behind, picked her up off the ground and swung her away
from the bed. Still aching inside, she kicked and fought to be free. The arms
held tight, body taut.

“Let me go.” Her heel
landed a blow and sent a jolt of pain up her leg, which only frustrated her
more.

“Avery, stop.”

Quinn’s gruff command
penetrated the emotions pounding inside her. Avery deflated like a balloon and
slumped in his arms, chest heaving. Quinn’s chin touched the top of her head,
his chest rising and falling in sequence with hers. He still hadn’t put her
down; her feet dangled off the ground. The way he held her, tucked against him,
made her heart ache even more. Almost as if he couldn’t let her go.

For just a moment she
allowed herself to lean on him, letting him hold her close until it felt like
they were fused. She didn’t analyze why she did it, or why he let her. Simply
let it happen.

Quinn tucked his head
into her neck, voice gravelly, his breath hot on her skin. “Goddammit, Avery.”

Mouth dry, she nodded
her head in understanding. She didn’t need the words. What was done was done.
She couldn’t take it back.

Gently he set her
feet on the floor and she winced. They stung like she stood on a bed of glass.
Before she could guess his intention, Quinn swung her into his arms and carried
her out of the room. She wrapped her arms around his neck, too worn out to
fight. Her gaze followed his tanned neck to the strong line of his jaw. His
profile was rigid, lines of fatigue bracketing his eyes. So much strength and
so much pain. He wore his emotions inside like a warrior. She admired that
after the spectacle she made of herself.

The Alpha male. Strong. In control. Letting no
one and nothing rule him…until he meets theone, and
all bets are off. The world tilts, the bed rocks, and suddenly that tough guy
finds himself Brought to His Knees—in more ways than one.

This collection of ten hot to erotic novellas
and one short erotic novel will take you on journeys of lust, love, and
adventure, leave you breathless and quite possibly in need of a cold shower.

Excerpt:

Shaking off her uncertainty, Mercy pulled a plate from
beneath the counter. On it was her gift to Travis and Dutch. Treats she always
offered them when they came here.

Travis reached the counter first, his long fingers
wrapped around a bottle of Lipton’s Iced Tea and three packages of Reese’s
Peanut Butter Cups.

Mercy’s mouth went dry. She imagined his hands on her,
the pads of his thumbs dragging over her nipples, sending a thrum of delight
through her body.

She managed a wobbly smile. He produced an interested
grin, making a dimple in his beard-shadowed cheek. Her belly fluttered and her
heart sank. His attention was on the plate she’d set out, not her.

“Hey,” she murmured, soft and warm.

His gaze flicked up. A flash of heat burned in his
dreamy eyes before it faded beneath what appeared to be confusion. As though he
hadn’t expected that sultry greeting to have come from her. “Hey.”

His voice was so fucking deep and rough, Mercy had
difficulty breathing. Jill made a noise that sounded too turned on. Mercy
kicked her friend’s running shoe; an order for her to beat it.

Jill pivoted and hurried off, her narrow shoulders
drawn to her skinny body, her blonde ponytail bouncing over her thin neck.

“Want one?” Mercy breathed to Travis. She stroked the
lip of the plate with the same care she would his balls and cock. If he’d only
let her.

Travis studied her breasts as though he’d never noticed
them before, which he hadn’t. Given the unusual summer heat, the air
conditioning had kicked on, making it nicely chilly in here. The cold air had
pebbled Mercy’s nipples against her stretchy cotton tee. When she’d seen him
and Dutch pull up, she’d ditched her shapeless Fast Fill jacket.

Travis’s sexy smile said he appreciated her boobs.

Mercy pulled back her shoulders to give him an even
better look at her chest.

Joining them, Dutch dropped packs of M&M’s and
Lay’s potato chips on the counter. “What’s this?” He regarded the plate.

Travis dragged his attention back to the gourmet
cupcakes. Mercy had baked them this morning, hoping he and Dutch would show up
as they usually did on Sunday afternoons. Their only time off.

“Breakfast and dessert,” she cooed.

Travis lifted one dark eyebrow. Dutch had finally
discovered her tight-as-hell nipples and remained riveted on them. “Huh?”

Mercy’s skin prickled with excitement and more than a
little lust. “Technically, they’re bacon and banana cupcakes, with maple,
peanut butter, and bacon topping.”

She ran her finger over the edge of one then offered a
taste of the frosting to both men. Eager to know who’d lick her first. “Try it.
It’s as good as the other stuff I’ve given you.”

They reached for her at the same time, their hands
bumping each other. Dutch curled his fingers around her wrist. Before he could
lift her hand, Travis drew Mercy’s finger between his lips.

She blinked wildly. Her pulse pounded out of control at
the wet heat of his mouth and Dutch running his thumb over her wrist. Travis
suckled gently, swirling his tongue around Mercy’s nail, driving her crazy with
need.

“Hmm.” His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed with his
swallow.

She fought an insane urge to lick it and his bristly
throat.

“You should try this,” he said to Dutch.

“I was about to.” He twisted his mouth at her finger
still damp from Travis’s awesome tongue. Dutch kept stroking her skin, until he
seemed to realize what he was doing. After releasing her, he grabbed a cupcake
and devoured half of it in one bite. Frosting clung to the corners of his
mouth.

Mesmerized, Mercy watched him chew.

He swallowed. “Fuck—I mean, damn, this is good. Even
better than the other ones you’ve made.”

Travis nodded as he gobbled his cupcake. Another strand
of hair swayed forward, grazing his unshaven cheek.

Sex radiated from them, weakening every part of Mercy’s
body, making her reckless and bold.

Two
Winners will split all the prizes: each gets a $50 gift card for Amazon or
B&N, and then there are ebooks, print books, jewelry, etc. Feeling lucking
this month? If so, enter our contest! While at our website, be sure to visit
all our pages. Great authors and books, a publisher, an industry rep, and cover
models have pages for you to see!

A CHRISTMAS ANTHOLOGY

Targeted

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We'd Rather be Writing...

Bake, Love, Write

About Me

I'm a Canadian author who writes murder, mystery, medical thrillers, romantic suspense, often set in Montana on a ranch. I recently dived into self-publishing and I love the challenge. It's exciting. Hunted was my first novel, then Missing and Targeted, the third in the series, set in Montana. Another series about an assistant PI, A Cruise to Remember and A Murder to Forget . By Design, on cloning. And I'm working on Death Southern Style set in New Orleans. I'm hoping to finish it by the end of September. Check them out and let me know what you think.